CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 30, 2017) - The Elite National Premier League (ENPL) has announced an additional qualifying NPL member for the 2017-18 season in the southeast.

Qualifying 14-U to 19-U boys teams from the Florida NPL will advance to the ENPL Playoffs in June 2018. These teams will earn qualification to the ENPL Playoffs based on their performances throughout the regular season. This NPL now joins an impressive list of previously announced qualifiers:

By providing qualification paths for both team-based and club-based competitions, the ENPL will feature the best boys players in US Club Soccer. The regular season competition within each NPL and Boys ECNL Conference are unique and independently structured; however, consistent technical and competitive standards will apply, and all teams will be focusing on the same postseason destination: the ENPL Playoffs.

"The Florida NPL is very excited about the opportunity to participate in the new ENPL platform in coordination with the Boys ECNL," said Scott Armstrong, President of the Florida NPL. "The ENPL allows our member clubs to participate in one of the highest levels of competition in the country, while awarding teams on merit, ensuring that events will have the best possible competitions within US Club Soccer.

"The opportunity to be a part of this partnership between the National Premier Leagues and the Elite Clubs National League is something that we believe will strengthen and improve the development of our young players in the state of Florida, and we look forward to seeing the partnership between NPL and ECNL grow in the future."

The ENPL is a collaboration between US Club Soccer and the ECNL to raise standards in youth boys soccer across the country.

ABOUT US CLUB SOCCER:

A National Association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, US Club Soccer fosters the growth and development of soccer clubs in order to create the best possible environment for players of all ages. Among US Club Soccer’s primary programming is the National Premier Leagues (NPL), a competitive nationwide platform for boys and girls consisting of 22 member leagues and more than 300 member clubs.

US Club Soccer offers youth and adult registration, league- and cup-based competition platforms at the recreational and competitive levels, and a variety of other programming and services. Anchored by Players First, US Club Soccer supports all facets of youth soccer through the five pillars of Players First: Club Development, Coaching Development, Player Development, Parent Engagement & Education and Player Health & Safety. Other programming elements include the id² Program and Player Development Program, and the National Cup.

US Club Soccer is sponsored by Nike and is supported by LaLiga through a technical partnership.

ABOUT ECNL:

The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) Improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) Improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs. The ECNL is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer.